Two days after an active-duty NYPD officer took to social media to label the white police officer now charged in the death of George Floyd as his “enemy,” four more New York city cops are publicly sharing the same rage.
“I am George Floyd,” each of the black NYPD officers, two of them retired, said in the brief social media messages that lament the shocking death of Floyd, who panted “I can’t breathe” multiple times as a Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, kept his knee pressed to the unresisting black man’s neck for over five minutes, while three other cops stood by and did nothing.
“He doesn’t represent me,” NYPD Deputy Inspector Winston Faison wrote. “I represent Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect! This is me and I am George Floyd.”
Another cop still on the force, Det. Carl Achille, described himself as a U.S. Army veteran and red-blooded American.
“I serve the people of my great city, state and nation with pride and integrity alongside my fellow brothers and sisters who are from all different races, religions, backgrounds and creeds who would also lay down their own lives for the lives of others,” Achille wrote. “No human being deserves what happened to Mr. Floyd, no citizen of the United States or anywhere else on this planet does.
“It was wrong, inhumane, disgusting, and justice must be served.”
Retired Sgt. Melody Peguese took it a step further, urging cops of all races to post positive photos.
“Police officers of all races should be upset, bothered and embarrassed by the actions of those police officers!” she wrote. “Please copy the text to your timeline, put up a picture and show that we are George Floyd!”
Retired Det. Michael Bell added that “there is no way any good police officer can justify [Chauvin’s] actions or the inactions of the other 3 Police Officers involved.”
Their comments echoed those made by NYPD Det. Dmaine Freeland in a two-minute Facebook video posted late Wednesday that broke the blue line of silence that usually keeps fellow cops from criticizing each other.
“I realized by saying nothing, that I am indeed saying something,” Freeland said.
“I want to say that that officer failed on both aspects and because he has failed, he is not my friend, he is not my brother, but he is my enemy,” he continued. “He is not my enemy because of any race, creed or color. He is my enemy because he brought dishonor to the uniform and the badge.”
